The Jackal is a small carnivorous mammal of the genus Canis, which also includes the wolf, dog, and coyote. While the word "jackal" has historically been used of many small canids, in modern use it most commonly refers to three species: the closely related Black-backed Jackal and Side-striped Jackal of sub-Saharan Africa, and the Golden Jackal of northern Africa and south-central Eurasia. We saw two of these species.

The Black-backed Jackal (Canis mesomelas), also known as the Silver-backed or Red Jackal, is a species of jackal which inhabits two areas of the African continent separated by roughly 900 km. One region includes the southernmost tip of the continent, including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. The other area is along the eastern coastline, including Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti and Ethiopia. Although the most lightly built of jackals, it is the most aggressive, having been observed to singly kill animals many times its own size, and its intrapack relationships are more quarrelsome.

The Side-striped Jackal (Canis adustus) is a species of jackal, native to central and southern Africa. Unlike its cousin, the smaller black-backed jackal, which dwells in open plains, the side-striped jackal primarily dwells in woodland and scrub areas.The side-striped jackal is a medium-sized canid, which tends to be slightly larger on average than the black-backed jackal. Its pelt is colored buff-grey. The back is darker grey than the underside, and the tail is black with a white tip. Indistinct white stripes are present on the flanks, running from elbow to hip. The boldness of the markings varies between individuals, with those of adults being better defined than those of juveniles.